Conventional ice makers have an ice making compartment located in proximity to, for example above, an ice storage compartment. Ice is made during an ice making mode in the ice making compartment. The ice is transferred by gravity action to the ice storage compartment during an ice harvest mode.
The ice making compartment includes an evaporator that is operable during the ice making mode to make ice cubes.
Conventional evaporators include an array of ice cells, an evaporator tube and a water drip tube. Typically, the evaporator tube is connected to a compressor and condenser assembly and the water drip tube is connected to a water supply system all of which are conventional for ice makers (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,318, which is incorporated herein in its entirety).
The ice cells of the array are preferably arranged in a grid or matrix configuration having a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical columns. Optionally, disposed directly behind the array is another array of ice cells, which is a mirror image of the first array. The pair of arrays are formed by a plurality of integral vertical structures that are interleaved with a plurality of vertical partitions. Thus, a vertical column is formed with an integral vertical structure and two vertical partitions that are disposed on either side thereof.
During the ice making mode, refrigerant is circulated through the evaporator tube to cool the ice cells. Water drips from the drip tube into the ice cell arrays. The dripping water trickles through the arrays and freezes to gradually develop an ice cube in each ice cell. During the harvest mode, refrigerant from the discharge side of the system is circulated in the evaporator tube. This results in a slight melting of each ice cube that allows the ice cube to loosen from its ice cell and fall into the storage compartment or bin.
This prior art method of harvesting the ice represents a loss in ice making efficiency due to: (a.) the amount of ice that is melted during the harvesting operation caused by the excess heat provided by both the hot gas in the evaporator and the warm water introduced, (b) the time it takes to perform the harvest operation—such time not being available to make ice, and (c) the excess heating of the evaporator—such heat having to be removed from the evaporator during the subsequent ice making mode.
Hence, there is a strong demand for an ice making machine which avoids the aforementioned deficiency and provides an ice making machine whereby the ice formed in ice making cells can be removed quickly and efficiently minimizing excess meltage of the ice, removing the ice more quickly than is possible with a hot gas defrost, and avoiding any excess heating of evaporator or ice making cells.